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KEVIN BLACK PRESENTS: TIM REYNOLDS LIVE AT PUTNAM DEN

Between time in the Dave Matthews Band, his duo partnership with its famed front man, and leadership of his electric power trio, TR3, it's remarkable that Tim Reynolds still has time to tour by himself let alone release a new solo acoustic CD. The six and twelve-string guitar slinger lets his music do the talking as he unveils fourteen original tunes on "That Way" where he proves once again that his creativity and prowess are front and center.

According to Tim, "These songs are personal stories of my life that have meaning to me; some happy, some secret, some silly. I just want people to hear the voice of the guitar tell each story through the melodies. even though there are no lyrics." Reynolds' musical pace on "That Way" varies from gentle finger picking on "Hidden Variables" to the furiously fast and vibrant southern-slanted "Just Around the Corner" to the soaring chunky rocker "Manfood." His jaw-dropping precision and all around mastery of his axe shines at every complex corner. "Some songs just came out instantly, like 'Ode to the Box.' For others, I collected little snippets over time, then went back and tinkered with an idea or piece of it and moved it around. Then I put it away again," said Reynolds.

Reynolds inspiration for That Way came from years of absorbing parts of many different genres of music. I love rock n roll, especially 70s rock. When I listen to the Beatles, Genesis, and Yes, I want to hear how all the different parts play: not just the guitars. Ive also been listening to classical musicBartok since the 70sand lately, 20th century string quartets, who I feel, are the most interesting and creative. If you listen to this stuff over a long span of time, it gets really familiar and gives me a germ of an idea or a little spark. Tumultuous music speaks to me. I get a very relevant awareness of different things that can happen in different times. Then I can improvise and open up what can be spontaneous for me. Its a joy to hear such fresh and timeless music. It stretches your brain in a good way. Its awesome. The inspiration for the strings on Where Have the Years came from listening to string quartets. The cello and violin are doing exactly what my guitar is doing.

Unlike most guitar players, Reynolds is a full-spectrum musician. His ears and fingers have a different lilt, a trait that keeps the sonics of his music interesting and filled with gentle unexpected flashes of brilliancesomething noticeable in his delightfully unorthodox slide work. That Way is filled with road-tested tracks that lace various melodies and adventurous guitar improvisations and inspirations atop a seasoned palette of rock, Piedmont country style, and classical influences. Its obvious that this ridiculously-gifted guitarist has so much fun sparking great, creative energy from his acoustic guitar.